Iridescence

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

FAITH

After training, I decided I'd had enough. Before she could leave, I grabbed Artemis by her arm. She looked at me like I had five heads. I'm pretty sure most people wouldn't have dared to touch her like that, but I was upset.

"Can we talk?" I asked. "Please?"

Artemis sighed. "I suppose we should," she admitted.

I relaxed slightly. That was progress. "Why are you avoiding me?" I asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

She softened slightly. "No, Faith," she replied. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Then why can't you stand to even look at me?"

"Because it is painful, Faith!" She finally admitted. "It is incredibly painful. Tana was very dear to me. She was my closest friend."

"Well, I'm her, and I'm alive, so-"

"It is not that simple. Chaos murdered her, Faith. I tried to save her, but I was too late. She died in my arms, and all I could do was comfort her as she faded away and vow to avenge her. And now, millennia later, you come along, and you are exactly like her, and I..." She shook her head. "I cannot do this."

"You can do anything, Gorgeous."

"Stop that!" She snapped.

I hesitated, not sure what to do. "Artemis... Please don't shut me out," I said softly.

"I have to! Don't you understand, Faith? I have been tasked with protecting all of you. I must turn you into warriors before Altheos finds you and destroys you, and I cannot do that if I'm busy worrying about you and the fact that you may very well die again in the coming battle!" She took a deep breath and said, "I cannot lose her again, which means I cannot view you as her. You are Faith, my charge who was blessed by Prometheus, and that is all."

"You don't give me enough credit, Artemis," I said firmly. "I can take care of myself."

"That didn't save Tana. It may not save you, either."

"Screw that! You may not believe in me, Artemis, but I believe in myself, and I know I can do this! I'm not some damsel in distress that you need to protect! I'm a Goddess, too!"

She hesitated. "I do believe in you, Faith... More than you know."

"Then act like it! Stop trying to keep me at arm's length! We were best friends, right? We need to stick together."

"Faith-"

"Don't you dare tell me no, because-"

"Faith!"

"What?" I asked at her tone.

"Someone is lurking... We are not alone."

I tensed and looked around. At first, I didn't see anyone. Then, I heard the hissing. My eyes fell on a snake that was hiding in the grass behind Artemis.

"Artemis," I began cautiously. "Don't. Move."

She remained frozen in place. I felt a ball of fire forming in my hands. As soon as I was certain I had control of it, I shouted, "Dive right!"

Artemis dove to the right. I tossed the ball of fire at the snake. It quickly burned to ash.

I moved closer to Artemis and offered her my hand. Instead of taking it, she knocked me to the ground beside her and shoved a dagger through a second snake.

Suddenly, we were surrounded by slithering snakes. As we both got to our feet, we moved closer together. Our backs touched, and it felt natural to be facing a threat together like that.

"Where did they all come from?" I asked. This wasn't a normal sight in New York City.

"Chaos controls snakes," Artemis replied.

"Do you think Chaos is here?" I asked. I was pretty sure I wasn't ready to face off against him just yet. Minions were one thing, but battling an actual evil deity was still probably a little bit advanced for me.

"No... This is not his doing. I think he must have granted a similar power to Altheos," Artemis replied. "Theos must be the one who sent this attack our way."

"When I find him, I'll torch him, and our problem will be solved," I decided cheerfully.

"He will not be so simple to defeat, Faith," Artemis replied.

"Let's focus on these snakes before we think about Altheos," I suggested.

We began battling the army of snakes together. I set them on fire while Artemis started shooting them with arrows. When a few kept moving despite the arrowheads in their sides, I started setting the arrows on fire. Artemis loosed flaming arrow after flaming arrow until every last snake was destroyed.

At least, we thought they were all destroyed. Then a giant anaconda dropped down from a tree and knocked us both onto our backs. I was positive we were about to get eaten, but Artemis slashed the creature open from end to end with her dagger, killing it swiftly.

"Are you alright, Faith?" She asked me as we both caught our breath.

"Good Goddess, that was hot," I mumbled. I stared at Artemis in awe for a moment before I added, "That'll teach those snakes not to mess with a Goddess of the Hunt and a pissed off Fire Nymph! Heck yeah, we just did that!"

Artemis shook her head. I thought she was mad at me again, but then I realized she was chuckling softly. It was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard.

"Yes, Faith," she said with a smile. "We certainly did."

"You're smiling," I said. "That's a good sign, right?"

"You may not remember being Tana, but it appears that you and I are still in sync when it comes to battle. I cannot deny I enjoyed that."

I grinned. "So did I... We should do this more often."

"Get attacked by venomous snakes? I certainly hope not!"

"Okay, fair point... But we can spar."

She nodded. "We can spar," she agreed. "It will keep both of our skills sharp."

I was thrilled, but decided to play it cool. "So, when can we start?" I asked.

"Right now," Artemis replied.

"You're suddenly so eager," I teased her.

"Look behind you, Faith," she said.

I turned around and saw a bunch of demonic looking shadows coming toward us. "Um... Are shadows flammable?" I asked.

"Not to the best of my knowledge," Artemis replied, "but try your sword."

I summoned the sword, and as soon as they attacked, my blade slashed through the shadows. It must have destroyed them, because each one vanished as soon as my sword touched it. "Okay," I said. "I can work with this."

Artemis began shooting at them with purple arrows. Apparently, they were the shadow slaying kind, because they destroyed every shadow they touched. We continued working together, and memories started flashing through my mind.

I saw everything Tana was capable of. I knew I could do it all, too, if I just focused. Trust yourself, I thought. You've got this.

Sure enough, I was able to tap into more of Tana's abilities. Flames rose from the ground and surrounded us. I felt empowered. The talisman Artemis was wearing glowed brightly and the fire didn't affect her. I smiled, knowing we were going to win this battle.

I had a feeling Artemis and I could win any battle we faced, as long as we were together.

As the final demon vanished from sight, I let out a victory cry and pulled Artemis into my arms. I didn't stop to think before I kissed her.

Artemis tensed for a moment. I thought she was going to murder me on the spot, but she surprised me. After a few seconds, she started to relax, and eventually, she began to return the kiss.

I had never felt anything so electric before. My soul felt like it was on fire, but in a good way. I held her close and continued to kiss her for as long as she allowed it.

When Artemis pulled away, she looked at me and said, "You've got some nerve kissing me without asking my permission first."

"I'm sorry," I replied quickly. "I wasn't thinking."

"I can tell," she said. She softened a bit as she added, "I did not exactly hate the experience..."

I couldn't stop smiling. "Do you want to do it again?" I asked.

"Don't push your luck, Faith," she replied with a laugh. "Let me walk you home."

We headed to the group home together in a comfortable silence. Artemis didn't kiss me goodnight, but she didn't ignore me either. "Be safe, Faith," she said. "I will see you tomorrow."

I was still grinning when I walked up to my bedroom. Genie looked up from her book and asked, "What's got you so happy tonight?"

"I kissed the hottest girl I've ever met," I replied. "I've got to say, it was pretty amazing... It was even better than I imagined."

"That's great, Faith. Is she your girlfriend now?"

"If only it were that easy," I said with a laugh. "I'm not sure what our status is, but at least she's talking to me... And I now know how amazing her lips feel against mine."

Genie laughed. "You should see your face! You've got it bad!"

"And I'm loving every second of it."

"It's nice to see you so happy. I'm not great at the whole romance thing. I'm kind of shy."

"You're a great girl, Genie. I'm sure some boy will fall all over himself trying to win your heart soon."

"You're sweet. Anyway, I'm going to go take a shower. I'll see you in a bit!" She walked away.

Left alone with my thoughts, I replayed the last few hours in my head. I wanted to savor every moment I'd spent with Artemis.

"Genie's right," I mumbled. "I do have it bad." I looked at my reflection and laughed. "Leave it to me to fall in love with a literal Goddess!"

I threw myself down on my bed and enjoyed the euphoria while it lasted.